What compelled the leap between being interested in paleoanthropology and thinking that you had something to contribute to the field?
Well, that is an interesting question. I’m not sure I had such lofty ambitions. I just knew that I was interested and wanted to do work in that field. The idea that I could contribute or could advance the work being done — that came much much later on. That really wasn’t a motivation at the beginning. I knew something about paleoanthropology from a young age because I spent my childhood in southwestern France which is a rich area for paleoanthropologists. That’s the area where Cro-Magnon was from. There are lots and lots of caves there. It’s one of the famous sites of early humans like neandertals and cro-magnon man. It’s really the first area that was investigated for understanding human origins. It has a very rich history. My grandparents took me to the famous painted caves where there are paintings of bison and horses on the walls. So there was an interest early on. Later, I recognized that I enjoyed the undergraduate courses that I took in paleoanthropology. I actually went to a un
